one-way ticket
by Frogster
Summary: Scorpius and Rose run into each other while Rose is Christmas shopping. An offhand comment from Rose about a hypothetical Christmas present for Scorpius leads to a conversation in which Rose finds out more than she'd bargained for. Witty, stubborn Rose and earnest, mischievous Scorpius. Definite Scorp/Rose with plenty of banter and fluff. Please read and review!


**Thanks to BeanerWeasley and Iloveplotbunnies for being the first to read this piece and offer their comments and support.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, I'm just dabbling in the wonderful world of Harry Potter.**

"I see you've been shopping for Christmas presents. Find anything for me, Weasley?" Smirking as always, Scorpius Malfoy cornered Rose Weasley as she exited a shop in Hogsmeade laden down with bags filled with presents for her large family.

"Well, I was going to get you a one-way ticket to Australia, but unfortunately there's no place in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade to buy plane tickets," Rose countered easily, blowing an errant curl out of her eyes.

"Weasley, I'm touched that you would spend so much of your Christmas budget to send me on a vacation," Scorpius drawled.

"It would be a vacation for me, too," she pointed out. One blond eyebrow rose into his hairline as he misconstrued her statement.

"Not like that!" she exclaimed, nose scrunched in disgust. "It would be a vacation _from_ you. You're around so much, always intruding into my life—you're a veritable Goldilocks—that I'm willing to fork over a substantial amount of money just to get a respite from you."

One detail had caught his interest, however, and he dismissed her comment about his hair and behavior. "A one-way ticket? How am I supposed to make it back home from halfway around the world if I don't have a return ticket?"

A smirk spread across Rose's face. "That's the point of a one-way ticket, Malfoy. You're not _supposed _to return. With any luck, you'll be eaten by a wild animal—I'm sure some creature would regard a ferret as a tasty snack. But you'd probably give the poor animal indigestion."

(As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew that she didn't really want him to get eaten. Who else would she banter with? Arguing with Scorpius for years had ruined her for arguing with anyone else. Although the idea of him being chased by a wild animal through the Outback of Australia was still awfully entertaining.)

She didn't voice any of these thoughts, however, and he spoke again. "You wouldn't really send me halfway across the world with no immediate recourse to return home, now would you, Rosie? You'd miss me too much."

She didn't bother to mention that his Gringotts account was bound to have enough money to buy fifty return tickets. She was too focused on continuing to deny that she'd ever miss him.

"Miss you like I'd miss the pain from a splinched limb," Rose muttered instead.

"Ah, see, but if I returned—or never went at all—you wouldn't even have a metaphorical splinched limb. You wouldn't be missing a piece of your life, yourself—something you couldn't live without." Scorpius' gaze was boring into her, and the intensity of the silver and the sudden serious turn of his tone made her uncomfortable. (That might have just been her neck, though—strained from glaring up at him. Curse his height.)

"Are you saying that I couldn't stand to be without you? You've a higher opinion of yourself than I thought, Malfoy."

"That's what I'm saying, yes," Scorpius said as he reached out and gripped Rose's shoulders. "We're a bit of a double act, you see. We've always been thrown together, even when we were just rivals. Don't tell me you haven't noticed." Before Rose could mentally review their various interactions at Hogwarts—and there had been many over the years—he went on. "But it's not just you not being able to be without me. I also couldn't be without you," he said softly.

Without so much as a by-your-leave, Scorpius swooped down and kissed a startled Rose. It was the briefest touch yet sent a not-unpleasant shiver down her spine. She couldn't even react because he had pulled away as quickly as he had leaned in. "Mark my words, Rosie," he said in a thick voice, "You _will_ go on a vacation with me someday, and we _will _return home—no one-way tickets or ferret-eating creatures allowed." The way he said the word _home_ sent another shiver through her, as if the idea of home in future meant a place they shared together.

(She wasn't as opposed to the idea as she thought she would be—and that thought scared her a little. This was Scorpius Malfoy, after all. But she couldn't deny that the thought of getting to bicker with him every day for the rest of her life was beguiling.)

Scorpius gently pushed another rogue curl behind Rose's reddening ear, fingers softly brushing against her cheek. He said nothing, just ran a hand through her curls, tugging at the ends before walking away.

Rose couldn't respond—for once, the normally witty girl who always had an answer or a retort was left speechless. She was left watching her fellow Head make his way through Hogsmeade back to the castle, her mind whirling from the events of the afternoon.

* * *

Four years later, Scorpius' prediction came true. He and Rose did go on a vacation together, although this vacation had a more romantic term attached to it. Scorpius could be as sweet as honey when he wanted to be, and although neither of their jobs would allow them to take off a whole moon's worth of time, they were just glad to be spending time together. They hadn't gone to Australia, opting for the French and Italian coasts instead, relaxing and relishing the fact that they would be able to annoy (and support) each other for the rest of their lives.

(They may have fallen in love, but they were still Rose and Scorpius. Not teasing each other would be as anathema as not breathing.)

Rose, for her part, thought she got the better end of the deal—her new husband's family was paying for the trip, return tickets and all. 

**Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review—I really enjoy reading your comments.**

**Keep an eye out for my next Scorp/Rose piece—it's called Prefects and Prats, and I hope to have it uploaded soon.**


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